The present invention relates generally to an improved glow-in-the-dark plastic composition, particularly suited for fishing lures and other fishing accessories that emit light.
Fishing lures and accessories that glow in the dark and in deep water have been sought after by fishing enthusiasts in an effort to attract fish. Fishing lures that emit light have been sought to enhance fishing during dark hours, such as early morning and evening, and for fishing in dark waters. In addition, many fish may be attracted to glowing bait, which simulates the bioluminescence which some sea creatures emit naturally. Previous efforts in this field have resulted in lures that did not have sufficient glowing capacity to emit light of sufficient intensity or duration. There have been many attempts to attract fish by using light in various ways. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,707 to Nichols, a coating of light-dispersing glitter is applied to fishing lures. This lure does not actually emit light, but depends on a light source to reflect. It is also well known in the field to use fluorescent paint on lures, but as the lures only reflect ambient light, they are of little use during the peak periods of fishing, early in the morning and at dusk.
Fishing lures have also been developed using the principle of chemiluminescence. In general, these lures are expensive and difficult to manufacture. U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,190 to Hornbeck discloses injecting a liquid chemiluminescent material into the internal tract of organic fishing baits such as worms. This reference requires the user to have organic bait, and inject the bait with the material when ready to fish. U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,504 to Mattison discloses a fishing lure that consists of a hollow body formed of translucent fluorescent polymer material with an elongated chemiluminescent capsule within. U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,120 to Cota et al. discloses a self-illuminating fishing lure that has a hard body encasing a tritium (a hydrogen isotope) capsule lined with phosphor that produces light.
The use of phosphorescent materials has also been experimented with. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,659 to McCallum, a strip of phosphorescent material is embedded in a translucent plastic body shaped as a worm, or is applied to the exterior surface of a lure body. U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,703 to Riley discloses artificial fish bait that is formed of a blend of freeze-dried fish food, fish oil, and a nontoxic phosphorescent material in a plastic body. This reference would not emit light for an extended amount of time, and would be difficult and expensive to manufacture, as freeze-dried fish food and fish oil are required for the lures.